best cream cheese frosting

I've tried many times to make a great cream cheese frosting for my carrot cakes.  It seems like they never turned out... until this one.

I know it's strange to only write about the frosting, and not the cake, but I've already shared a carrot cake recipe which you can check out here.

This post is going to be all about the frosting.  I've finally found a great recipe, and I'm super excited to share it.

Here it is!

Awesome Cream Cheese Frosting (for Carrot Cake)
adapted from Baking by James Peterson

Ingredients
1 package of regular cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups confectioners' (aka. powdered) sugar
2 tsp orange zest

Directions
Combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.  Add the vanilla, confectioners' sugar, and orange zest, and beat on medium speed for about 8 more minutes.  Place the bowl in the fridge for about 20 minutes to harden just a bit.  Then spread it on your cake generously.  Enjoy!